Mahinda Rajapaksa’s had failed in implementing a Reconciliation process after the war – Rathana Thera

Unless steps are taken to immediately free the country from the forces of corruption that are governing it today, it is likely to face a youth uprising within the next two years, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera warned today. Speaking at a media briefing held at the common candidate’s office, Ven. Rathana Thera said President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government had failed in implementing a reconciliation process after the war, instead preferring to completely bypass the people of the North and East when initiating development projects.

“Those projects should have been initiated along with people from the North and East. Instead, the government opted to use those development projects as avenues to engage in corruption on a mass scale,” he alleged.

Rathana Thera said for example, the Tamil people were well aware of the corruption that took place when laying down new rail tracks for the North. Further, instead of launching a national program to rebuild houses in the North, the government handed over the project to India and opted to spend millions of taxpayer funds to build a new airport at Mattala. The usefulness of this project is now being openly questioned in society, he pointed out.

“This shows that the government had its priorities mixed up,” he quipped.

Pointing to the state of poverty in areas such as Kilinochchi, the JHU MP said it also showed that the government had not done enough to foster job creation in these areas, breeding resentment among the population and opening the door for a renewed uprising borne out of frustration.

“Right now the government actually needs terrorism and separatism to surface again. That is the only way it can mask the corruption that is taking place and divert people’s attention,” he charged.

Fortunately President Rajapaksa is now facing an inevitable defeat and the only option available to him right now is to accept defeat gracefully and leave with what little dignity he still has left, the Thera stressed.

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